The start of another academic year finds Southern Arkansas University Police Department steadily focused on emergency preparedness and safety around the campus community. As the residence halls, classrooms and campus sidewalks fill up with the noise of student life, the UPD works with Student Life to develop initiatives and present educational programs targeted for personal emergency preparedness and safety. <\/p>\n
SAU Police Chief Eric Plummer, whose experience and dedication to continued law enforcement training has earned him the distinction of Senior Chief of Police from the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training, has incorporated measures and programs on campus and adopted models that educate and empower individuals to avoid falling victim to crime. <\/p>\n
\u201cDuring the past couple of years, we have installed outdoor surveillance cameras and added a new officer – thanks to a public safety fee enacted by the Student Government Association (SGA),\u201d said Plummer. \u201cThe Physical Plant has continually added lighting to areas previously identified as areas of concern and will continue with this lighting initiative as the university grows.<\/p>\n
Plummer commends the efforts of the SGA in their efforts to take on safety concerns. <\/p>\n
\u201cBy choosing to adopt a public safety fee, the SGA has enabled the university to hire an additional police officer and to start an outdoor campus surveillance network,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery effort to help makes a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
The department has also developed a new safety initiative called the informative Campus Awareness Network or iCAN in order to encourage all members of the community to be more aware of their surroundings and to report abnormal or suspicious behaviors. <\/p>\n
To be launched this year, iCAN provides an anonymous messaging system that will allow individuals to text information to police without being identified. Concerned citizens can send information or tips via text message to 67283, containing the word \u201cSAUTIP,\u201d followed by a space and then the message. UPD hopes the program will provide an outlet for students and community members to provide feedback and information about crimes or prevention.<\/p>\n
Plummer said he is hopeful the department\u2019s efforts will encourage students, faculty and staff to become more aware of their surroundings. It\u2019s another step toward his mission to provide a safe and secure living, learning and working environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cEducation is vital to create a sense of awareness and to change behaviors, which can be detrimental not only to a community member, but the institution as a whole,\u201d said Plummer. \u201cAlong with education, the most important factor of personal safety is awareness and taking personal responsibility for your surroundings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another educational initiative – \u201cPolicing through Practical Partnerships\u201d (PPP) allows the community to partner with police and is geared toward changing public perceptions of police officers from caretakers to partners in safety. The goal of the initiative is to strengthen, educate and empower individuals to take on some responsibility in keeping themselves and their property safe. <\/p>\n
SAU PD also promotes emergency preparedness with the Federal Emergency Management Agency\u2019s (FEMA) Resolve to be Ready campaign. The program encourages individuals, families, businesses and communities to take action and prepare for emergencies in four important steps: \u201cBeing prepared for an emergency of any magnitude is a very important part of keeping safe,\u201d said Plummer. \u201cEmergencies can range from inconvenience to devastation, but you can resolve not to be a victim of an emergency or disaster and take steps to minimize the impact of emergencies.\u201d<\/p>\n SAU Police welcome campus community members to join them in training programs and take the pledge to prepare during the National Preparedness Month (September). <\/p>\n For service, call (870) 235-4100. To learn more about programs, educational opportunities and services provided on campus by the SAU PD, visit www.saumag.edu\/police\/. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The start of another academic year finds Southern Arkansas University Police Department steadily focused on emergency preparedness and safety around the campus community. As the residence halls, classrooms and campus sidewalks fill up with the noise of student life, the UPD works with Student Life to develop initiatives and present educational programs targeted for personal… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":394,"featured_media":9670,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[266],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9669","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/police\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/police\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/police\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/police\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/394"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/police\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/police\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9669\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/police\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/police\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/police\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/police\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u2022\tBe informed.<\/strong> Know the hazards and risks in your area.
\n\u2022\tMake a family emergency plan<\/strong>, so you know where to go and how to communicate and find your loved ones if a disaster hit.
\n\u2022\tBuild an emergency supply kit<\/strong> \u2013 both at home and in the car \u2013 that includes water, food and first aid supplies to help you survive if you lose power or get stranded in your car. This is especially important in icy conditions.
\n\u2022\tGet involved <\/strong>\u2013 Find out how you can promote preparedness in your community. <\/p>\n